Just Trust Me
by YueandLuna
Summary: Two surprises for two girls as they step off the Hogwart's train and greet their parents. They both receive unexpected news of a story they had never imagined to share. That is only the beginning for them though, as they struggle in the new world a bearer of bad news knocks on their door again reminding them of their haunted past. How do they explain who they are to those who knew?
1. Surprise, Surprise

**AN: **This is my reworking of my original story, this was not taken from another author. I hope you enjoy this one!

I stepped off the Hogwarts train to platform 9 3/4, a flood of parents and siblings crowding towards the doors, except my father. He stood against the wall next to Hermione's parents, shifting nervously which was highly unusual for him. His shock of blond hair was easy to spot in the crowd. I grabbed my one trunk from the bottom of the train before heading over to him. I sat my old, battered trunk on the ground and wrapped him in a hug. It was great to see that he was ok after the war, I had known he was alive but that was it. There did not seem to be a mark on him, which was a huge relief to me. "Hullo Daddy." I greeted as I pulled away and he grabbed my luggage from the ground, a hint of sadness sparking through his stormy blue eyes. "What is it?" I questioned, peering into his face and he turned away, scanning the crowd.

"We should wait for Hermione." I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, I mean Hermione was a friend but I did not understand why we would wait for her when her parents were standing right next to us. So I leant against the stone wall, setting my trunk down once again, watching my classmates file off the train. Some happy to see their families, some depressed and on the edge of tears knowing they were all that was left of their family or had lost loved ones.

Hermione bounded through the crowd, her hair bouncing around her shoulders, throwing her arms around her parents and greeting them happily. She had restored their memories after the end of the war and got on good terms with them once again. Her parents then turned to us, Hermione looked as confused as I was, it seemed we were both left clueless. "I believe this requires a more private setting, there is a park across the street." Dr. Granger interjected, he was clearly in on this two; my father nodded his head in agreement. I glanced over to Hermione and she shrugged her shoulders before following our parents through the magical barrier.

We pushed through the thick muggle crowds at the station to outside, crossing the busy street to a small shaded park. It had one picnic table hidden by a grove of trees and all of us cramped on to it, separating by families. "We have something to tell the both of you." My father started calmly, pausing for a second as if trying to work up courage. "You are actually sisters." I stared at my father in disbelief then at Hermione, her eyes were practically popping out of her head. Well that was a bit of a shock; I had spent my life as an only child, only to find out that was not the truth. Hermione was my sister, my sister. It seemed impossible, unrealistic.

"That's not it either," Mrs. Granger interrupted our shock and I braced myself. "None of us are your parents, you were born into the wealthiest, French, pureblood, wizarding line, the Reynolds. They moved here when you were both infants in hopes you would attend Hogwarts later. When the war started though Voldemort called to them, no one knew of your existence so they hid you. They refused to join the dark so Voldemort murdered them and you were left with us. Your parents gave us specific instructions for when one of you turned eighteen and when the war was over that you were to be told your true identities." She explained further and I could not process it all. Not only was Hermione my sister, we were French and wealthy, but that our actual parents were dead. I could not make a sound for several moments as I desperately tried to grasp what they were telling us. My father, was not actually my father, but then why did I look so much like my mother? Barely any of this was making sense to me.

"I understand that you are shocked, but your presence is expected at the family manor." Dr. Granger exclaimed, rising to his feet along with his wife and my father. Hermione's mouth closed as she stood up and I played along. The Granger's loaded themselves into a sleek black BMW while my father hailed a taxi, standing on the side of the road. One finally pulled over and we climbed into the backseat, my dad gave him a foreign address and the taxi sped off.

After a twenty minute ride into the forest the taxi turned down a paved driveway, enclosed by tall oaks on either side. After about a quarter of a mile the trees opened up revealing a massive three storied manor. It was made of a light rugged stone brick with some dark mahogany accents, about a dozen windows facing outwards. There was a covered porch on the right, the slightly angled roof held up by a series of columns. The smaller left side jutted forward past the porch with bay windows on the front. There was a smaller one story building off to the right, a series of garage doors ran along them. The Granger's BMW was parked in front of the garage door but the taxi pulled up to the manor through the circle drive.

I climbed out as my father handed the driver some muggle money, my shoes touching the new pavement. The house was amazing and nothing like what I have ever had before, it was hard to believe it was my family's. I waited for my dad before climbing the porch steps and through the wooden double doors into a towering foyer. It was all three stories, an elegant and unique crystal chandelier hanging down from the top. Hermione and her family stood by the grand staircase, talking to the three house elves that were present. The walls were a light green with white and tan marble floors, old fashioned paintings decorated the walls, the paintings alive and staring as I entered. Surprisingly, I was quite accustomed to the sight of exposing their prominent wealth, it was typical of the rich purebloods. I quickly promised myself I would never become a stuck up lady, or like the Malfoy's. "Mr. Lovegood if you will change them back to their original appearances." Dr. Granger spoke up, turning to us as we entered, our footsteps echoing on the pristine marble.

"Of course." Father answered drawing his wand first turning to Hermione, approaching her. He waved his wand, say nothing, and the magic crumbled around her. She grew a few inches, her hair turning a sleek silvery blonde. Her face thinned out, her lips filling out slightly and her cheekbones raising. Her eyes enlarged slightly, her lashes becoming more prominent. Her irises turned a deep blue with a definite tint of purple. She gained a mature curvature, her breasts filling out a little more. She was absolutely stunning.

Father then turned to me and did the same thing, the magic around me disappearing. We both rushed to a mirror hanging on the wall, trying to see what we now looked like. My hair had filled out with volume, creating tight waves in a straggly, voluptuous mess; it had a certain exotic feel to it. It was a light brown at the roots and underneath but quickly turned a bright yellow stained blonde. My eyes also had a dramatic look, turning a cat like bright green with deeper tints mixed in. My face thinned out and lips filled out, mirroring Hermione's. My breasts filled out even larger than Hermione's a sudden weight now bearing down on my chest. I must've grown a few inches for we were about the same height now, an appearance of lithe strikingly.

I placed a hand on my cheek, shocked as to what stared back at me, it was a complete change from what I was used to. This would take a long time to get used to, I was practically a whole other person. I turned back to my father after I had memorized my new appearance, for I doubted Luna was my real name. "We had to change your names to keep your identities a secret, just in case. Luna, your birth name is Rosalie Anne Reynolds. Hermione, yours is Lauren Alisa Reynolds." Mrs. Granger exclaimed, confirming my suspicion, as everyone studied our new looks. It must be hard on our parents too, for they had raised us as their own for almost all of our lives. They had known the whole time though, and we had just found out not even an hour ago.

"I don't understand why you are telling us now." Hermione, Lauren, asked her parents before I could, but I was thankful. It was hard to think of her as my sister, but she also seemed like a different person as well.

"Because you are eighteen, you can claim the family inheritance and your life won't be threatened by the war even more." Dr. Granger inputted and I guess it made some sense, more than anything else really. "Speaking of which, you should go to Gringott's as soon as you can so that you own this house and no one can contest that." He advised as he walked towards the door, were they really leaving us already? "We should go so you two can get accustomed, and if you ever need any of us we will always be there for you no matter what." He hugged his daughter tightly and my father did likewise before leaving us in the house with the elves. This was all too sudden for me, too much to try and adjust to, I was a new person to everyone else.

"Masters we bring you clothes before you go to the bank." The house elves cried as they struggled to bring in two new outfits since we were still in our Hogwarts robes.

"Do we dare tell anyone who we truly are?" I questioned Her- Lauren, and she thought it over for a minute, it was a rather big decision to make in such little time.

"I would deem it wise not to tell anyone who we are until we get used to being, well us." She decided and I nodded my headed, agreeing with her. The elves held two business formal dresses with high heels, it was absurd really. I did not say anything as I grabbed the grey skin tight dress and silver jewelry held out for me. One of the elves led me to a small bathroom and I changed. It was a three quarter sleeve stretch cotton back with a dropped back, reaching to my mid thighs. I put in the silver hoop earring and simple silver necklace with a symbol I did not understand hung like a charm on it. I headed back out to the foyer, an elf taking my clothes and another handing me my shoes. Mine were low, strappy black wedges that clasped around my ankle. They weren't as bad as I had initially thought, but it looked as if I was going for a date at a restaurant more than to a bank.

Hermione had also changed, she was dressed in a black miniskirt and silk white button down blouse that cut down a little low. She wore some small black pumps, black intricate flower studs in her ears. Her hair fell just over her shoulders in soft waves, giving her a well kept look compared to my mane of hair. "Ready?" She wondered as I took a few tentative steps in the heels.

"I guess so." I mumbled, grabbing her arm since she had passed her apparition test right after her birthday. She pulled out her wand and we vanished within a heartbeat, nothing left behind.


	2. Unexpected Dinner Guests

We landed right in front of the bank, the clean creamy marble pillars welcoming us. We quickly hurried in, not wanting to draw too much attention to ourselves in the alley. The dark marble and glass had been repaired from my robbery of a horcrux. It was eerily quiet, only the sounds of quills on parchment filled the air. Our footsteps echoed as we walked up to the Head Goblin. He did not look up from his paperwork as we approached. I cleared my throat lightly and he glanced up at us finally. He was rather petite, even for a goblin, the oversized desk making him look even smaller. "We would like to access our vault." I stated clearly, he glanced back down at his paperwork for a second.

"Names." He asked, grabbing a quill preparing to write them down. I paused for a second, for I almost said Hermione, thankfully Luna saved me.

"Rosalie and Lauren Reynolds." She answered calmly in her usual high pitched airy voice. All shuffling of the papers stopped and from the corners of my eyes I could see the goblins were staring at us.

"I'm sorry, but the Reynolds never had any children. We have no way to confirm your identities if what you say is actually true." He explained stiffly, doubting us greatly. An idea was forming in my head though.

"The vaults open to any family members, correct?" The goblin nodded his head slightly, uneasy as to where I was going with this. "Then let us see the vault and we can all see if the door opens for us." He grumbled under his breath, clearly not happy with the risk we were presenting in his view. I just hoped my parents were correct right now.

"Very well, he will show you the way." He gave in, sweeping his arm out to the right, pointing to a smaller goblin holding a lantern. We walked over to him, he seemed much more friendly than the senile Head Goblin, a tuft of bright orange hair upon his wrinkled head. He did not even stand to my waist, he was a kid compared to the others. He hobbled down a small hallway that opened up into massive chasms, rock formations jutting from the ground and ceiling. Pointed ends arising from the mist below, you certainly did not want to fall off.

The small mine car sat on it's two rails that acted as tracks, this did not seem safe at all. There was almost no light in the cavern except from the lantern which made it all the more eerier. We climbed into the car, the goblin in front setting the lantern in front, directing the lift ahead of us on the tracks. Lun… Rosalie sat next to me on the little bench, it was strange calling her a different name than what I had known her by. It was even more peculiar to think of her as my sister.

The car started up, darting across the twisting tracks and through the cavern dangerously fast. We went right through the familiar waterfall and over the trench from which I was dumped into. We continued on into a deeper part of the chasm, the tracks ending at a semicircle of doors carved into the rock. There was seven of them, all with different family crests painted on the circular wooden doors. The goblin strode up to the one farthest on the right, there was an owl painted with the moon behind him, the ocean churning underneath his feet. No wonder we were both incredibly intelligent and wise, it was the family trait. The goblin motioned me ahead, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. I knew the type of protections they placed on these vaults to keep robbers out, none of them were good news. I took a step forward and placed my hand right on the owls chest. His eyes opened, glowing blue and there was a faint series of clicking noise. The door swung open wide, torches lighting up inside. The goblin gasped faintly beside of me and Rosalie followed me as we stepped inside.

I had been in Bellatrix's vault but this one was way more impressive. There was a long hallway with series of doors holding various plaques describing what they held. At the end there was an archway but you could see the twinkle and glimmer of mounds of gold emitting from it. A little round table sat a few feet ahead of us a box and a book sitting on it, a chandelier hanging overhead. We walked up to the wooden table, Rosalie opened the lid of the polished black box. Inside laid two rings, they were platnium with the family crest carved in at the top along with two wands on either side. We glanced at each other before simultaneously picking up a ring and slipping it on the ring finger on our right hands. Immediately a sense of warmth filled my veins, settling all over and reaching my head. My eyesight sharpened, seeing through to the infrastructure of the vault and mathematics right before my eyes. "Whoa…" I mumbled and it seems Rosalie was going through the same thing, holding her hand up in front of her face. There was a clarity and definition that was beyond human capability, I had access to things I had never dreamt of before. I held out my hand and a wand came flying into it, fitting perfectly in my grasp.

It was a light wood I did not recognize, intricately carved white black stains in the carving, giving it a certain burnt look. A cloud of white surrounded me for a second, informing me that this wand had now chosen me. I grabbed my old wand and set it in the box, people would recognize it if I used it. Rosalie had the other wand in her hand smiling fondly at it, her old wand was already set in the box. I tucked it in my little holster around my wrist, I reached for the book and opened it.

_ My dearest daughters, it appears we do not have much time. Everything inside this book will lead you through your life, all legal documents are inside a folder on the last page. We love you very much already but it comes to our attention we cannot keep you, and it comes with great sadness that we will be placing you with other caring families. Always remember who you are and that we are always with you. _

_With much love,_

_ Father and Mother_

It was written on the first page where a dedication would normally be. It was a rather small book but I flipped the pages, there was tons of photos and captions underneath. There was a smiling young couple standing outside the family manor, two babies in their arms. I flipped to the back and like the note said there was a folder tucked inside. I opened it up, looking at the birth certificates. One was mine and the others was Rosalie's, our parents had kept out original birthdays and ages. I closed the book and followed Rosalie who had already started off down the hall. We disregarded all of the other doors as I tucked the book in my magical pouch that I always had on me. The book contained the house deed as I had noticed, tucked behind the birth certificates. We headed under the archway and into a massive room stacked high with pallets of gold, each one containing a million pieces. My eyes did a quick calculation and the total came out to be 473 million, shocking me to the core. Wealthy was an understatement in this case, I was not used to seeing such wealth. Rosalie did not look a bit surprised though which was a little peculiar.

I grabbed a few handfuls of coins and put them inside of the pouch as well inside of a box. "Ready?" Rosalie chimed in and I nodded my head, turning around. "So what's in the book?" She questioned as we walked back down the hall and out of the vault, the torches going out and the door slamming shut behind us. The goblin was waiting outside in the car, flipped around and facing the track. He stared at us incredulously as we got back inside of the car, he sped off back up the tracks.

We walked through the main entrance, all the goblins staring at us since we had actually survived. Which meant we were telling the truth, a unique situation for them though. We exited into the alley, wizards and witches bustling about, staring at us as we passed. "Let's go get some dinner and I will tell you." I offered and she nodded her head as we walked deeper into the alley. People made way for us as we headed towards a wizarding restaurant I had heard of. We stepped inside the italian restaurant, the scent of garlic wafting through the air. There was cream adobe and tan tiles on the floor, vines growing on the walls. I walked up to the maitre d' and he glanced up from the seating arrangement spread across the little podium. "Two for Reynolds." I stated and he raised his eyebrows, had everyone heard of my family? He did not say anything though as he led us into the crowded restaurant and back to private room.

There was two other tables and they seemed confused at our appearance. It was faces I did not want to see or recognize. Draco, Blaise, Pansy, and Astoria glanced up from their table, obviously not happy to be interrupted but that changed when they saw us. Their parents sat at another table just as confused and annoyed. "This was a private room reserved to us." Draco complained and I could see Rosalie's grip tighten around her wand as Lucius Malfoy rose to his feet. He took notice of the rings that sat on our fingers, his mouth forming a straight line.

"Be quiet Draco, may I ask who we have the pleasure of dining with?" He questioned, a pleasant smile on his face, though it was obviously fake.

"Rosalie and Lauren Reynolds." Rosalie answered and everyone faltered except Lucius who had already suspected it from the rings. Frowns ran across their faces, doubting us silently.

"Reynolds are dead." Blaise countered plainly as he set down his fork, drawn more into the conversation then food now.

"I'm pretty sure we are alive, and before you argue that we aren't Reynolds we have already opened the family vault. We can show you the book from it if you don't believe us." I argued, this was starting to get on my nerves already. We were standing right in front of them with the family rings on our fingers, what other proof did they need? I took a breath to calm myself and smiled politely.

"May I see this book?" Lucius questioned and I pulled out my magical pouch, rummaging around for it. My arm was completely in it when I grabbed the leather binding. Reluctantly, I handed it over to him and he immediately flipped to the last page. Confused as to how he knew about it I just stared as he pulled out two sheets of parchment. He handed one to each of us before giving the book back. I skimmed the document he had handed to me. My heart filled with dread as I realized it was a marriage contract. It stated that the eldest eligible heiress of the Reynolds family was to be married to the heir of the Malfoy family. I could not marry Draco, certainly not after the war and I loved Ron! And I certainly did not approve of marriage contracts in the first place. I glanced over to Rosalie who completely paled as she read her own contract.

"We thought the contracts would be void since they never had any children, but now you two have shown up."

"You mean to say our contracts no longer exist because there are earlier ones?" Mrs. Parkinson's stood up, clearly outraged along with Mrs. Greengrass. Their faces contorted as the fathers also stood up in a haste.

"You would be correct, my deepest apologies, we never imagined they actually had children." Mrs. Greengrass and Mrs. Parkinson grabbed their protesting daughters arms, nearly dragging them out of the room with the fathers mumbling in tow. Well that certainly was intriguing, and I still had no clue as to why the Malfoy's were out of Azkaban. "May we move this into a more comfortable setting? I do not believe a restaurant is a good place to discuss such delicate matters." Lucius started but Rosalie cut him off short before he could suggest anything.

"Great idea, I suggest our manor." She piped in and Lucius raised his eyebrows but said nothing. I could not blame her for not wanting to the Malfoy Manor after she had been kept there and... well I don't really know. Luna had never said anything coming out of it, even refused to testify which is unlike her. "You all know where it is I presume?" No one spoke up saying they didn't. "Then we will give you a few minutes to arrange things in order here and then see you at our manor." She quickly grabbed my wrist and we apparated from the restaurant contracts still in hand along with the book.

Please review!


	3. Isolation It Never Felt So Lonely

**Lauren: **We landed in the massive foyer, the elves came scrambling from various places in the manor. "Quickly, put as many wards up as you can! I want the Malfoy's and Zabini's blocked, and whatever letters sent burned!" Rosalie ordered as the elves scrambled about, beginning to carry out her instructions. I raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing, I was not so sure if this was the right idea. To lock out them would certainly create tension between, but I had never seen Luna so sure of anything before, she appeared truly panic stricken. Her eyes were wide as if she had been threatened with death, I turned to her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing?!" I finally questioned her but she did not seem to hear me, her eyes dazed. Her physical form was right here, but she was far away. At that moment I realized I should not ask for her reasoning, she was doing this for herself, but I did not understand the reason just yet. She had been the one captured by the Malfoys, there could be countless horrific things running through her mind. I backed away letting my arms drop as everything came crashing down around me.

My parents had practically just abandoned me with a sister I had only thought of as a friend for years. Now, by ourselves, we had to figure out who we truly were. On top of that we had marriage contracts to the two Slytherins we absolutely hated, could anything get possibly worse? My heart was quite literally being torn apart just by the fact my parents had just dumped me in this position without any warning or advise. I doubted they did it for my own benefit either, it was hard to see that being alone was a benefit at all. I had just gotten to good terms with them after I had hunted them down and restored their memories of me. I was now left in a giant manor with my half destroyed sister who was trying to appear as if she wasn't broken. I had thought fighting a war had been stressful, but at least I knew what to do then and I always had my friends for support. I just had Rosalie now.

I ran my hands through my hair as elves bustled about. Never in my wildest of dreams had I thought this would happen, and I now wished it didn't. I was Hermione Jean Granger. A muggleborn, the smartest witch of our age, and proud of that fact. I was not Lauren Reynolds, some very wealthy pureblood from France. She was not supposed to exist, no one knew she existed until today. If only it had stayed that way.

A sense of abandonment was clearly apparent, how could it not be? My parents had just left me here! They were my parents! The ones who were supposed to care for us in our hardest times, yet we found ourselves alone. Did they not understand that we need them? How could they have just dropped this on us? It was harsh, it was cold, it was dissonant, anything but considering.

Glass shards spilled across the floor as the chandelier above us exploded and cracked. The clamor rang out as we reflexively covered our heads with our arms, a shield forming around us. I knew I was the cause of that, I needed to calm down. Everything would work out eventually, it was not as if I had a death threat over my head. Perhaps their was a loophole in the contracts, or what was the payment to break them? Surely the Malfoy's would agree to break them if they learned my real identity. It seemed Luna did not even wish to see them though, so if I was to go it would be on my own accords. I was not sure how apt I was to making a visit to their manor. I would much rather visit my parents, surely they would see me, I was their daughter after all.

I pulled out my wand as everything came to a stillness. "Reparo," I murmured and the shards laying on the floor zipped back upwards. They sealed back together with a little magic and hung in strings from the silver frames that held candles. It seemed to work to pull Luna from her daze as she rapidly blinked at me. An air of almost dangerous beauty clung to her, defying her gentle nature. She gave me a meek smile, but we both knew it was forced from her. I was not going to ask until she was ready to say anything. It was her executive decision to cut off from the Malfoy's and Zabini's, and I was more than perfectly content with that.

"I don't believe we actually got to sit down and eat, besides you still need to explain to me what that book is." Rosalie, I needed to remember to call her that especially in public, chirped. She did not wait for my answer as she skipped off down the hall and began opening the doors, peering inside. I just shook my head and a grin tugged at my lips as she continued on, well at least some things wouldn't change. She disappeared into the fourth door on the right, I assumed she found it.

By the time I got into the culinary kitchen she had already started to rummage through the pantry. A separate wooden door swung open to reveal lines of shelves full of various ingredients neatly organized. The kitchen itself was massive, the ceilings 20 meters high, giving a certain spaciousness to it. A large island was placed right in the center of the square room with the U shaped kitchen. On the one open wall was a small informal dining table and the door leading to the pantry. A light beige was splashed on the walls, the cabinets a dark mahogany.

Rosalie appeared with a large pot full of noodles and other vegetables, a pan in the other hand. I placed myself in a chair as I watched her, setting the book from our parents down in front of me. She flipped on two of the burners and filled the pot halfway with water from the sink tucked against the wall. She rummaged through the drawers, pulling out a cutting board and knife as the house elves began to appear. "Does master want help?" They asked as they flocked to her side, nervously clutching their hands.

"Of course! Thank you very much!" She exclaimed joyfully, causing the little elves to relax, their ears drooping slightly in relief. "Can you start cutting up the vegetables and sautéing them?" The elves eagerly went to work, taking the onions and tomatoes and some other herbs I did not recognize, dicing them expertly. A sizzling erupted as the vegetables hit the pan. Rosalie went to work boiling the noodles, stirring occasionally. She seemed at complete ease with this, as if she had done it several times before. Then again she had probably been cooking for awhile, not growing up with a mother. An adoptive mother that is.

She brought over the pan when she finished, I grabbed two plates and goblets from the cupboard. She grabbed the silverware and a tonged ladle to serve the skillet she had prepared. "Thanks Rose," she scowled at me, obviously not approving of the nick name. She nodded her head though as she scooped the meal on to her plate. The torches flickered on around the room as they deemed it was dark enough in the room now, the sun having recently set.

"What's the book?" She questioned as she eyed it, devouring the noodles with a frenzy so that I had to stifle a laugh. Never, ever would I have thought to see Rose ravish a meal the way she was, then again it had been an extremely long day.

"It's a photo album, in the back has all of our legal documents, and their is a letter from father." She flipped the cover open as she cleaned off her plate. She quickly glanced over the brief letter that was scribbled down in a hurry. The parchment crackled beneath her fingertips as she flipped the pages, staring intently at the moving pictures. Everyone was so happy, even us as babies as we played with each other. Mother and father appeared not to have a care in the world. As you progressed through it, you could see the haunted glances of worry start to appear. Things got bleaker, the smiles fading as if a dementor was slowly sucking the happiness from their life.

"So it's all correct, we really are sisters." She muttered as she closed the book, it seems she was coming to the realization I had earlier.

"Apparently so."

"I cannot believe it." She shook her head as she leaned back in her chair, clearly distressed as I was.

"Neither can I."


	4. The Rough Times Have Just Started

**Rosalie: **We stood nervously on the 9 ¾ platform, arriving at one of the last minutes. We packed our things into the train before I hugged Lauren. "I will see you at Hogwarts." I stated and she left for the head compartment and I took my edition of the Quibbler and my wand. I boarded the train gripping the magazine tightly to my chest. I was a nervous wreck, what were the others going to think of me since I had changed? I felt even worse for Lauren, she would have a long train ride sitting next to the man she had avoided since she saw the marriage contract.

I sat down in the train compartment, it was already filled with Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Neville but they were all arguing and did not notice my entrance. I pulled out the latest edition of the quibbler and begun to read when Harry jumped across from me. "Merlin!" He cried and I looked up, everyone had noticed me now.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Ron questioned and I smiled, even though it hurt they could not recognize me.

"Can't recognize me since I'm not wearing dirigible plum earrings or a butterbeer cork necklace? How about I talk about Nargles then?" I asked lightly, still smiling it was amusing to see their shocked reactions though.

"Luna?" Neville asked cautiously and I nodded my head enthusiastically. "Ok I thought we all changed after the war but this is an overhaul." Neville stated and the others nodded in agreement.

"What the heck did you do this summer that made you like this? Why do you look familiar?" Ginny piped in at my new appearance.

"I am sure you have seen at least one photo of me in the newspaper at the beginning of the summer." I stated and a look of realization and shock dawned on their faces.

"No bloody way! Is this why no one could contact you all summer, because you're one of the french sisters?" Ron asked dumbfounded and I smiled shyly.

"Well that and I burned every letter we received." I shrugged nonchalantly but they still stared at me.

"Now why on earth would you do that?" Neville questioned and I sighed a little remembering Hermoine.

"My sister and I had a not so pleasant encounter that has completely shifted our lives, we were upset you see." I explained, trying to be as vague as possible to avoid Hermoine and the marriage contracts.

"Who is your sister?" Harry asked and I took a deep breath.

"She is in the Head Compartment right now." I said slowly and their eyes widened and Harry rubbed his face with his hands.

"You mean Hermoine?" Ron asked for confirmation and I tilted my head to the side slightly.

"Well her real name is Lauren, but yes Hermoine. I'll go get her." I offered standing up and left the compartment before anyone could protest.

I walked down to the front of the train and stepped into the Head compartment where Lauren was sitting as far as possible away from Draco. "Lauren, they wish to see you." I exclaimed and she stood up and followed me back into my compartment without saying a word. When we entered everyone looked up at us and their jaws dropped when they saw Hemoine. She looked exhausted and weary, I could tell she and Draco had argued. "Sit." I instructed to her and she did not protest as she took my spot gratefully.

"Are you ok Hermoine?" Harry asked her cautiously and she nodded slowly.

"Please, I prefer to be called Lauren now." She spoke softly as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Ginny questioned and I looked at her, she sat next to Harry and I could tell they were a couple. At least one good thing came from the war. Though my identity was a debatable good thing as well. I now had sister with me, and we had grown very accustomed to each other's company over the long and quiet summer.

"I could not bring myself to, believing your whole life you are someone than in one second they tell you that you are the complete opposite is quite taxing. I am still getting used to not having blond hair." I explained quietly and I myself felt exhausted.

I whipped around as I heard the door open behind me, there stood a nervous first year and he handed me a note.

_I think we should talk._

That was all it said but I knew exactly who it was from and I looked down at the first year. "Thank you very much, please return it back to him for me though." I asked kindly and the scared little boy nearly ran from the compartment. I leaned back against the door, allowing my eyes to shut as I listened to everyone catching up on each other's summers excitedly.

"Rose! Rose wake up!" Lauren called as she shook my shoulders and my eyes fluttered open.

"I do not approve of that nickname." I mumbled as I stood up it looked like Lauren had also slept, for the bags under her eyes had lessened.

"Come on it is time to change." She said as she handed me my robes. We walked out into the car and headed up to the changing rooms.

"So what did you and Draco fight about?" I asked her under my breath and she frowned a little at me.

"Is it really that obvious?" She questioned me and I shrugged a little.

"I am your sister, I am supposed to notice these sorts of things." I countered and she thought for a second.

"Mainly about the whole contract thing and he tried to apologize for earlier." She answered. "It's only because I'm a pureblood now, I still hate his guts." I could not think of a response before it was my turn to change.

When I came back out Blaise was waiting in line and he pulled on my arm, slipping a letter in my hand. I pulled my arm out of his grasp and I hurried back to my compartment. When I did I was the first one back so I read over the letter. "Oh a joy, there is going to be more wrackspurts buzzing about in my private space now." I muttered and Ginny entered she raised her eyebrows at me and sat down next to me. I handed her the letter and waited for her reaction.

"Why the hell are you sharing a dorm with Zabini?!" She cried just as the boys returned and I grabbed the letter back from her.

"You think I had a say in it?" I said lightly but there was a subtle edge to it that I instantly regretted, I burned the letter in my hands before anyone else could read it. I had not expected them to go to these measures to insure things. It would get complicated now.

"I am sorry Luna, I realize it must be hard, but can you tell me why?" She questioned me slowly and I nodded my head.

"Because I have to marry him." I stated simply and I could tell the boys had been eavesdropping because they all frowned. Well then I would not have to explain it again to them later on.

"There must be something we can do!" She cried out and I shook my head.

"No, there is nothing we can do, the marriage contract is signed by my parents." I explained glumly as I dumped the ashes from the letter out the window and watched them scatter in the wind. "I probably shouldn't tell you this but the reason Hermoine is so upset and we cut ourselves off is because she has to marry Draco. We are trying to prolong it as much as possible." I said quietly but the compartment was completely silent so my voice carried. "I'm afraid that won't be possible now since we are stuck with them all year." I huffed as I sunk back into my seat, there was too much going on. I did not hear them the rest of the train ride for I was too deep in my own thoughts and worries**.**


	5. Reunion

**AN: **Sorry guys it took soooooo long! I had exams and surgery and _then_ the recovery of that. When I tried to publish the chapter my computer crashed and it was lost! So many dilemmas, anyways here it is! I would not expect the next chapter for a little while, but thanks to my faithful followers, especially shaymars!

* * *

We stepped off the train and on to the familiar wooded grounds, I breathed in the scent and relaxed. Automatically I headed for the carriages but did not get in one, I headed for the threstrals and began stroking one's neck. I heard whispers around me and I realized they could all see them now too. Ginny, Ron, and Neville were all shying away from them but Harry climbed right in and I sat next to him. "You know they were here every year, you just couldn't see them." I pointed out and reluctantly they climbed in and other people started to head for the carriages behind us. The threstrals began to move and pull us up towards the castle, their hooves making soft thumps against the ground. Lauren sat next to me in silence and I studied her worriedly and she smiled at me.

"I just need some sleep." She mumbled as she leaned her head back, her face up towards the sky.

"You know we could just accept what happened and not fight with them. We cannot change the contracts so we might as well try to make the best of it." She snorted at my suggestion as if it were preposterous. "It's just an idea." I added and she looked over at me, trying to see if I was being serious.

"This is Malfoy we are talking about, as if I ever could." I simply shrugged, it was obvious of their hatred. That was based on judgments made before they truly got to know each other. Now that's all they could see though; it clouded their vision.

"I think we should look over those contracts again, maybe there is something we don't know about in there." Lauren suggested and I shrugged, to think the Malfoy's would have missed something in the contract. Draco would have already been pushing his father to try and find a loophole, of that I was sure. Lauren hated Draco because he was raised a wealthy pureblood, and well acted like he had been taught. Draco hated Lauren based on his teachings, because she was a muggleborn. It certainly did not help that they were in opposing houses either. Now Lauren wasn't a muggleborn, but I doubt it would have much of an impact on their long standing hatred.

"Sure, if you care that much to." I offered as she shifted in her seat, glancing up at the familiar castle that loomed over us.

"I would most certainly have the proclivity and desire to marry someone I loved and not someone my deceased parents chose for me for political reasons." She exclaimed bitterly, as if this was all of our parent's fault. I suppose I could imagine why she would think that, but it was standard among the society at the time to do so. Just like it was to raise Draco to believe he was above everybody else.

"Not everyone marries for love, most muggle emperors married for political reasons and they turned out just fine." I mused as the threstrals huffed, bracing themselves for the long pull up the cliff to where the castle remained.

"Are you trying to justify this?" Lauren cried, nearly insulted and I just shook my head.

"No, I am merely stating fact, the conclusion you draw from it is your own." Frowning at my remark she turned her head, no longer wishing to converse with me. Only then did I realize everyone else in the carriage was quiet, subsequently listening in on our conversation.

No one wanted to talk as they stared at the castle that held so many painful memories. I was starting to doubt why I came back. Then again if the final battle had taken place, where would we be? That was a nonsense what if question that so captivated much of my free time to mull over. There was consequences for every decision we made, and not all of them were bad, but if we just changed one, what could possibly be the effect of it?

"Luna! Are you coming?" Ginny called at me and I snapped out of my thoughts. All of them had already hopped out of the carriage and were heading inside. Ginny helped me down from the carriage. She pulled me close to her, wrapping her arm around me. "Rose, everything will be fine. I'm sure the two brightest witches of our age can figure some way to escape a marriage contract." She tried to comfort and for her I put on a brave smile in thanks.

The Great Hall was a little different this year, each table was cut a little shorter. In the open space sat a cluster of two couches on either side. I recognized Theodore Nott and some other Slytherin guy with Astoria and Daphne Greengrass on one side. Lauren had taken the seat farthest from Draco, sitting diagonally and I placed myself down next to her. Draco raised his eyebrows at me as I glanced about, the architecture of this place was amazing. I still needed to find out what type of magic we gained to see the structures of buildings, right down to which walls were low bearing.

The first years shuffled in, glancing about as much as I was. As soon as they were sorted Headmistress McGonagall gathered everyone's attention. "Welcome to everyone! We have some more obvious changes this year, we wish the repeating seventh years good luck in their schooling, may it ever prove to be helpful. We also wish luck to our incoming first years who will try to manage their way through the ever changing maze of corridors. As per request of the ministry we have made arrangements to accompany those marriage contracts that still stand. In that matter we also wish a warm welcome to the Reynolds sisters who have joined us from France!" Everyone turned around to get a glimpse of us and Lauren leaned into me.

"She does know who we are, right?" The gleam and smile in Professor McGonagall's expression told me the answer Lauren questioned, she did in fact know.

"Yes, she's just making sure everyone is aware of the fact we are no longer who we were." I hissed back as everyone turned back around.

"So to everyone, good luck with your schooling and let the start of the new school year commence with a feast!" She raised her hands and the tables filled with food, even our little low laying table. It appeared we were dining Roman style from now on.

The second the feast started Lauren whipped around and glowered at the two Slytherins sitting across from us. "I swear to Merlin if either of you two's fathers or uncle's or anyone caused this..."

"Relax Granger," Draco interrupted as she trailed off slightly, leaving her threat hanging. "Nott's father suggested the idea and people saw no opposition to it, so it passed. It was neither of our families who caused this." Lauren still was glaring between the two of them as they filled their plates politely.

Under her breath she murmured: "You'd think a war would be more humbling to someone's ego." Draco have her a glare of his own and she smiled back innocently. This was going to be a long year.

* * *

**AN: **Sorry! That was probably horrible, but I'm leaving in less than an hour and I hoped to get this chapter out there for all of you. Thanks!


	6. Confliction of Interests

**Rosalie (Luna):** An awkward silence surrounded us as the brief conversation died with a glare towards Lauren. It still seemed as though Lauren hated Draco's guts, and I could see as to why she did. He had never shown kindness to her, he rarely allowed himself to.

"I'd watch your tongue, you should be happy now, you're one of the privileged, Granger." He sneered back and Lauren's face immediately went sour, as though he had poured lemon juice on open wounds.

"You call this privileged? I'd rather go back to being a muggleborn, at least then I had a family who cared and I was not set to marry an insufferable git." Snapping back at him, Draco only smirked.

Plates filled the table, but neither of them touched them. Blaise and I diligently plucked what we desired from the selection as if they weren't arguing at all. He seemed content with watching them, but did not move to throw any insults himself. Scooping a serving of pudding on to my plate, I glanced back up to see Draco ready with an insult.

"Draaaaaaaky!" A high pitched voice squealed and everyone immediately recognized it. Draco rolled his eyes and Blaise chuckled slightly as Pansy came sashaying over. Her long black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and heavy make up exaggerated her violet eyes. She threw a disgusted look at Lauren before wrapping her arms around Draco and then coming around the couch and forcing herself a seat next to him. "Is this who you have to marry? I'm sorry you got stuck with someone so plain when you would've had someone like me." Pansy snickered to herself, but Lauren only rolled her eyes.

"Go ahead, take him back, I don't want him." Lauren exclaimed bitterly as she rested her head on her hand. She glanced down at the food before turning away slightly.

"How rude! Didn't your parents teach you better? Oops! I'm sorry, I forgot your parents were killed for disloyalty." Pansy remarked caustically as Draco ate silently, not particularly interested to jeer at Lauren nor defend Pansy.

"Our parents died in bravery for resisting such an immoral, corrupt, and malicious cause. I don't think you can say the same." I spoke up, blankly staring at Pansy as I calmly ate my pudding. Her lips pursed as she scrutinized me, her eyes drifting up and down.

"Blaise, I think you should teach your wife to be how to be a proper pureblood lady, she is an embarrassment to herself currently."

Lauren glared icily at Pansy. "The only embarrassment here is how childish you are acting, you lost the war and Draco. We aren't dummies to absorb your anger, you have your followers for that, it's all they are good for anyways." Pansy huffed, glanced towards Draco, who did not do anything to defend her, and stormed away. Lauren visibly relaxed and finally grabbed some food, letting all conversation drop. None of us knew particularly what to say, especially since there was an obvious conflict of interests. Yet, we would all have to get over that if we were to go through with our marriages.

* * *

**AN: **Thanks for reading and all of the reviews and follows! It's been so long, I know. The chapter probably wasn't the greatest, and most likely had a ton of grammatical errors since I suck at english, but it's up! Please do take a second to review and give me your thoughts, it is highly appreciated even if it's just a quick blurb! Thanks!

I swear to have the next chapter up soon, maybe even today!


	7. Bach

**Lauren (Hermione): **"Why must we share a dorm though?" I snapped irritably as I reluctantly followed Draco towards the dorm I would have to share with him. I wouldn't be following him, except he knew the password and I didn't, and he did not seem apt to tell me it. Not that I would mind, I would gladly take the excuse to go back to the Gryffindor common rooms, but I knew that would be looked down upon. So, I waited for his answer as we passed through streams of students following their prefects to their common rooms, tossing us the occasional glance.

"It is policy with the school having to respect marriage contracts, which my father did not suggest." Draco explained effortlessly and I sighed. This was not off to a good start, but then again I did not want to be associating with Draco, much less marrying him. For years he had called me mudblood, jinxed my friends, taunted them ruthlessly, and stood for everything I opposed.

"Why aren't you in Azkaban? Things would have been so much easier, for I'm sure my parents would not allow for me to marry a filthy criminal." I muttered and Draco tossed me a smirk full of gloating.

"You actually have your sister to thank for that one." Stopping in my tracks, I stared at his back, trying to tell if he was serious. He could not have been! Rose wouldn't do such a thing for such a man. He was still more like that stuck up, bratty kid. She would have no reason to help him. Draco turned around and noticed my confusion, his smirk quickly growing. "What? Didn't she tell you? After all, you are sisters. Surely she would inform you of what happened at the manor." Drawing it out, Draco taunted me.

Folding my arms over my chest, I rolled my eyes at him. "You're pathetic, you know that, right? You are no more mature than when you were in first year."

"Yet, you're the one rolling your eyes at me." He poked, but his eyes narrowing, noticing my deflection of his question.

I did not respond but huffed in irritation. Part of me knew he was probably telling the truth. Both Rose and I had been summoned to the courts several times to give testimonies, and I had lost track of whom she was summoned for. But, if she had, what did she have to protect him from Azkaban and why would she say it? Then again, Rose would always tell the truth. She tended to try and see the good in everyone and defended him as a human being.

Following him dazed, I ran directly into him when he stopped in front of a painting. He cursed and tossed me a glare, but I did not apologize. The painting in front of me was a portrait of a young girl in a white dress carrying a weaved basket of flowers. She was smiling widely as she looked down at us. "Password?" Asking in her sing song voice, Draco responded.

"Bach."

The portrait swung open and Draco stepped inside. I was tempted to leave and head for the Gryffindor common room now that I knew the password, but my legs carried me inside.

The room was to the point of extravagant. It had a small kitchen and a nook for eating. There was a sitting room off to the right side with a desk as well. Various bookshelves were placed about. It was decorated in warm browns, greens, and golds. A compromise of sorts between the houses. Against the far wall was a door on each side near the corner. Draco headed for the door on the left, so I went for the one on the right. Inside was a large four poster bed and a dresser, as well as a bay window with cushions propped up on it. My trunks were resting at the foot of my bed. Crookshanks was asleep in his cage, but he perked up as I entered.

Walking over, I let him out of his cage and he leaped up on to my bed. Then he walked in a circle and plopped down, sleeping in seconds. I just shook my head as I glanced about. There was another door, and one I presumed to lead to the bathroom. Opening up my trunks, I began to unpack.

There was a knock on my door, and I halted in hanging up my clothes. I opened the door, expecting to see Draco's sneering face, instead it was Rose. There was bags under her eyes and her body was tense, but she was smiling. It seemed she did not want to give the impression she hated this just as much as I did. "Your room looks like mine. I am just down the hall at the portrait of the Pharaoh Ramses, the password is buttercup." She stated simply as she pat Crookshanks.

I scrutinized her, now was my time to ask her about what Draco said. "Did you help Malfoy avoid Azkaban?"

"Yes."

She seemed to be expecting the question and her smile did not fade. "Why?" I asked as I sat on the bed next to her.

Her face flashed in confusion as she studied me. "I told the truth of my accounts at the manor. I was summoned to the court to tell the truth and give my testimony. That is what I did. Whether it helped or hurt his prosecution is up to everyone else to decide. Apparently you both believe it helped him, and I am inclined to agree with you." Rose explained and it did make sense. It was I who had let my emotions interfere with my thinking. Rose was not that type of person though, and it showed.

"What did happen?"

There was silence as Rose's eyes flashed for a second. I stared at her as she took a deep breath. "Just the usual prisoner of war stuff, Bellatrix tortured me. Draco healed it every time, even brought me extra food and blankets. I was held as a hostage and they blackmailed my father." It was brief, but Rose choked out the words. Wrapping her in my arms, she relaxed.

"It's alright," I murmured and she took another deep breath before pulling away. It was clear she was broken, and her decision to block out the Malfoys and Zabinis over the summer was making more sense. She had just dealt with them for months, to say she had to marry one of them was more than I could imagine.

The door burst open and Professor McGonagall was standing there ashen. "I need to see you."

* * *

**AN: ****Please just take a second to review! I greatly appreciate the feedback! Hope you enjoyed!**


	8. Buche de Noel

**AN: **I"M BACK! So sorry it took so long! Looks like I cannot seem to escape the doctor's office. But, I am back, inspired, and it's summer! I would expect more soon! BIG thanks to all those who review, I love you all! I really hope you enjoy this chapter (though it is probably not my best). PLEASE follow/favorite/review I appreciate it so very much!

**Lauren (Hermione)**: Rose stood up and confusion flashed across her face. Professor McGonagall was staring right at Lauren. "Has something happened?" She questioned immediately as she rose to her feet. Her mind started creating the worst possible scenarios as she waited for her to answer.

She took a deep breath. "There was a fire at your parents office, we do not know the extent of their injuries, we just know that they are being treated at St. Mungos. Had them transferred there since they are aware of magic." Professor McGonagall explained rapidly and her stomach sunk. Lauren felt faint as she put her hand on my back and started ushering me along the halls.

Fire. Were they alright? Were they even alive? How bad was their injuries? Would I make it in time? What if they were dead by the time I got there?

Panic raced through my mind as she led me into her Headmistress' office. She had not touched anything since Dumbledore, probably out of respect for the late wizard. However Lauren did not even pause to glance at it as floo powder was shoved into her hand. Lauren stepped into the fireplace and threw the green powder at her feet. "St. Mungo's!" Exclaiming, the snake like flames shot up her side and the world went black. Her stomach flipped and the shadows contorted into a stark waiting room.

Bright colors sieged her eyes as Lauren stumbled out into the waiting room. She blinked several times to adjust to the light. The cold air prickled her skin, goosebumps running up and down her arms as shivers made her spine tense up. Silence filled the room, the few odd assortment of wizards and witches speaking quickly in hushed tones to each other in their small groups. Their eyes sparked with worry and impatience for news on loved ones of which they were waiting for. Lauren brushed by them as she hastened to the front desk in the piercing light.

"Grangers," she panted and the nurse glanced up. Pulling out a binder, she began flipping through it, hurriedly scanning for their name.

The nurse looked back up. "I'm sorry miss, but they aren't quite ready to see anyone. I will alert you as soon as you can see them. What is your name?"

"Lauren Reynolds."

The nurse raised an eyebrow but did not say anything. "And your relationship to them?"

On this Lauren paused. What was she to say? "They are my parents." She said after a second. Lauren could not very well deny them the years they had raised her. They were still her family no matter if they were related by blood or not.

The nurse nodded as she jotted it down by their name."Thank you. Please, have a seat in the waiting area." She exclaimed and Lauren nodded numbly.

Her feet moved under her and she collapsed in one of the chairs in the waiting room. Everybody had the same blank stares as they all waited for the news. Their eyes were all haunted with what could happen. Seconds ticked by as minutes, minutes ticked by as hours. Not knowing was the hardest part. The nurse hadn't told her if her parents were in critical condition or if they were stable. Were they on the verge of death or simply resting?

Every time a doctor entered the room she perked her head up. And every time they said someone else's name, her heart sunk a little farther. What was taking so long?

"Miss Reynolds?" One of the nurses asked and Lauren immediately stood up. The nurse motioned for her to follow her down one of the blaring white hallways. "Your parents are in stable condition." Lauren let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. The weight off of her shoulders lifted. "They have a few severe burns, mostly minor ones. They did inhale a lot of smoke and we had to clear their lungs of it. They will need to stay for a few days to rest and let their burns heal, but they are expected to make a full recovery." The nurse stopped before a seemingly random room and put her clipboard in a holder beside the door. "They have been asking for you." She announced as she pushed open the door.

A gasp escaped her lips as she saw them. Their beds were in the same room, next to each other. They lay upon them fragilely, their faces pale. A bunch of beeping machines were hooked up to them and Lauren cringed at the sight. Her parents were mostly wrapped in gauze, but what she could see looked just a little pale.

Her mother's eyes were closed and Lauren brushed the light brown locks of hair out of her face. Her breathing was shallow as she rested peacefully. "Hermione," a small voice croaked and Lauren glanced over. The usual ocean blue eyes had been replaced by a faded grey. Lauren walked over to his bedside. He slowly reached for her hand and she took his. Nothing was said between them, nothing was needed to be said. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked down at them. She should've been there, she should've done something. She felt utterly helpless seeing them like this.

"Hermione, it was an accident, there was nothing to be done about it." Her father spoke up, as if reading her mind. Nodding, she reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I love you so much, and I am so so sorry for this summer." A smile pulled at her lips.

"I love you too. Don't be sorry, we are still a family. Maybe I can come visit you this Christmas?"

Her father returned the smile. "We would love that."

"I'll even make my buche de Noel." A singsong voice piped in and Lauren glanced over. Her mother was grinning softly and Lauren held her hand as well.

"I'll bring Crookshanks and we can invite grandma over."

All three of them were smiling now, forgetting about the fire. "First you got to get through school until then." Her father reminded her and she scowled.

"Yeah, that's not going to be easy since I found out my parents signed my hand to the person I hate most in this world." Lauren sighed and her parents glanced at each other.

"Why?"

Lauren took a breath, trying to keep her three day rant to the bones. "He's stuck up, a pureblood, and he believes he owns the school because he is powerful old money. He's taunted me and my friends, calling me a filthy mudblood. Worst of all, he's a Slytherin, and now I have to share my schedule with him." She treated the word Slytherin as if it was the most vulgar and base thing she could ever say to someone.

"Well we raised you to be smart and humble. Not every parent does that. Maybe he is the way he is because that is how he was raised." Her mother exclaimed and Lauren pursed her lips slightly. "Just have patience with him, the war just got over. It will take time for everything to cool down." Lauren only nodded her head.

The door opened behind her and they glanced towards the nurse who had entered. "Visiting time is over," she announced and Lauren stood up. She kissed each of them on their foreheads.

"I will see if Professor McGonagall will let me visit tomorrow," she promised as she squeezed their hands one last time. "Bye mom, bye dad." Smiling, she followed the nurse out and she shut the door behind her. As she was walking down the hall she realized how tired she was. Going back to the waiting area, she floo'd back to Hogwarts.

Appearing in Professor McGonagall's office, Lauren stepped out of the fireplace. The Professor stood up from behind her desk, concern shining in her eyes. "They are fine, just resting. Do I have permission to go see them tomorrow after dinner?" Lauren asked calmly.

"Of course, just come to my office. I am glad to hear they are recovering." She accepted and Lauren smiled before leaving. Reluctantly returning to her dorm, she was glad to find that Draco was not in their living space. Without doing anything else, she crawled into her bed and fell asleep instantly.


	9. Am I Invisible?

**Rosalie: **Humming to myself, I walked along, my books tucked against my chest as I headed towards the dining hall. Dinner had been a quiet occasion now since Lauren had been spending every second with her parents as they recovered. Not that I could ever blame her, if something were to ever happen to my father I wouldn't wish to be so far. It was rather kind of Headmistress McGonagall to allow such a thing, but she had always had a soft spot for the brightest witch of the age.

The looming, wooden Great Hall doors swung open before the crowd of students that eagerly awaited dinner. I filed in with them, but silently took my seat on the couch. Setting my books beneath the table, I tucked them under so they were out of the way. Maybe some nargles would take a liking to them during dinner as well. Nargles did like paper and darkness. I often found them hiding in corners of the libraries. Alas, they always escaped me.

"Luna?" The familiar voice called and I glanced up. Harry was standing beside my couch. His eyes were soft as he gazed down at me. "Are you alright?"

"Of course Harry, why wouldn't I be?" I answered, cocking my head.

Harry let out a short sigh. "Everything that's happened. Hermione, well Lauren," he hurriedly corrected himself. "Lauren is busy, but you two shouldn't be strangers. We're your friends, that doesn't change even if your appearance and name do." Harry persisted and I smiled genuinely. It was nice talking to Harry, he was kind and understanding. Always trying to help people.

"I was thinking of coming to your Quidditch tryouts, there's a lot wrackspurts flying around you when you play." I chimed in and Harry returned my smile. It seemed that I had reassured him somehow.

"Oh look, Potter has decided to grace us with his presence." Blaise commented stiffly as he flopped on the couch beside me. I glanced at him, my eyebrows furrowed. Usually he sat on the other couch opposite with Draco, leaving me to sit by myself since Lauren was absent. It was unlike him to sit beside me.

Harry raised an eyebrow at Blaise, before looking back at me. "I'll see you in class tomorrow, Luna." He exclaimed and started to turn around when Blaise called out to him.

"You could at least get your own friend's name right, Potter." He quipped, but Harry continued to walk away, ignoring Blaise's comment as if he hadn't heard it at all. I was rather impressed that Harry had simply walked away and not retorted back at Blaise. It seemed that the war might have done some good after all.

A minute later, Draco joined them. He sat on the other couch, gazing at Blaise with raised eyebrows. He failed to comment on the switch as the food appeared before them. There was silence. None of the other two tried to make a conversation as they filled their plates from their own personal feast. The hall was abuzz with the normal conversations of complaints of homework, gossip of couples, and chatter of Quidditch.

I nibbled on my salad, not having much an appetite. I still hadn't gotten accustomed to eating a lot of food after being fed only once a day in the dungeon of the Malfoy Manor. The house elves had served large portions at my manor, but I could never come close to finishing them. If Lauren had noticed, she hadn't said anything to me.

"Are you going to tryout for Seeker again, Draco?" Blaise asked, finally breaking the tense silence.

"Of course, I'm captain after all. You should tryout Blaise, you'd make a fair chaser." Draco encouraged, and it was a shockingly normal conversation between the two of them. It was as if they had forgotten I was there.

"Maybe, since now I can't spend my freetime flirting with the ladies."

A chuckle escaped Draco's lips. "Ah yes, the constraints of being betrothed." He teased and I glanced at Blaise. I could agree in the fact that it was peculiar to think that I would be spending the rest of my life with him. There were worse people to marry though. Blaise had at least respected my personal space. No efforts were made to get closer or act like any type of couple from either of us. I had no time since every night I went out to feed the thestrals.

"I'm not the only betrothed dear friend." Blaise reminded Draco, causing a dark glare to cast itself on his face.

"I'm well aware, at least she isn't a mudblood." Draco huffed as he sipped from his goblet.

I set my unfinished salad down. The clank of the silverware as it hit the table jolted the other two in remembrance that I was present. "How is it sleeping with Blaise?" Draco suddenly asked me, his lips contorting into a smirk. I cocked my head at him, wondering why he would assume we were sharing a bed.

"We don't share a bed." I protested lightly.

Draco chuckled. "My, Blaise, you really have lost your touch."

I looked between the two of them, confused as to what was funny. Neither of them paid any attention to my confusion.

"I have made no effort into sleeping with her." Blaise shot back, his eyes narrowing.

"Really? How shocking. Why not?" Draco persisted as he leaned back on the couch, crossing one leg over the other as he kept his goblet raised in one hand. He had sprawled out over the couch dominantly, making himself quite at home even though they were in the middle of the Great Hall. However, no one else spared them glances, having discovered that I was formerly Luna and Lauren was Hermione. The excitement at having new students had vanished at once.

The Great Hall doors opened with a thud and I turned around to see who was entering. Lauren was sweeping in, making her way directly towards our table. She glanced between the couches before plopping herself down next to Draco, almost causing him to spill his drink.

"Hey Rose," she greeted casually as she began filling a plate full of food, not wasting any time to start eating.

"Hello Lauren."

"Hello to you too, Granger." Draco sneered as he set down his goblet and moved to the far side of the couch. He put as much distance between them as the couch would physically allow.

"My name is Lauren Reynolds, I thought you of all people would like that name more than Hermione Granger." She bit back sharply in between bites of food, not caring if she looked lady like or not.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her retort. "As if you could ever deserve a name like Reynolds. Reynolds requires that you have actual class and manners."

"And you're one to talk about class, you little ferret. You're the one always throwing vulgar insults like mudblood around, even though they are hardly different from yourself."

"Hardly different? I-" Draco was about to lay in deep when Blaise interrupted him.

"You do realize she's egging you on to prove her point?" He questioned as he sat quite relaxed beside me. It seemed he was quite used to his friend ranting or squabbles like this. However, Blaise was right. Lauren sat with a confident grin as she stared down Draco. She was outright daring him to insult her. Draco gritted his teeth and turned and took a drink to conceal his frustration. Blaise then turned towards me. "I'm heading back to the dorm to finish up my Potions Essay. Make sure these two don't strangle each other." Blaise exclaimed, excusing himself from the table and leaving the Great Hall.

I smiled to myself as I grabbed a bowl of pudding. There was a moment of uneasy silence before Draco got up from the couch and left without a word.

"Ugh! He's the most stuck up brat ever!" Lauren griped as soon as Draco had disappeared. "I guess he is just like his family in that sense."

"Well, if we had been raised by our actual parents, we could've turned out similar to him." I offered and Lauren shot me a glare.

"I doubt I could ever be as bad as he is. How am I supposed to marry him?" Muttering, she finished off her dinner. I blinked at her.

Part of me wondered why they were so insistent on insulting each other. They had one separate thought, and like reasonable people, they could agree to disagree and move on. It had never been an issue between Blaise and I. We knew that we had to get married, so why put up obstacles that didn't need to be there?

I didn't voice this as everyone rose from their seats at once. Dinner had been dismissed. Grabbing my books from under the table, I skipped from the hall, dropping them off at my room before heading down to the kitchen to grab meat for the thestrals.

**Author's Note: **Sorry it's been so long! That was a horrible chapter, but alas I never think any of my writing is well written. Thanks to all my faithful followers, I love you guys! You make this ten times more fun. Please do leave comment, replies, or whatever they're called, it's been so long I forgot. I enjoy immensely reading what you guys think of it. So please do just take a second to leave a little note please!

I promise that I will get back into the swing of writing again. I have renewed my passion for this story and hope that I can release another chapter soon.

Do what you guys do best and follow, favorite, and review please! It means a lot!


End file.
